


A Plea and a Price

by ShimadaGenji



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood, Gen, Major spoiler up to ep 26, Resurrection, also some swearing, angsty, minor spoilers up to ep .. idk... 50 something?, resurrection by shady means, until they get to xhorhas basically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24419398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShimadaGenji/pseuds/ShimadaGenji
Summary: Mollymauk rejoins the Mighty Nein after his own death, unaware of the circumstances that brought him back.Fjord on the other hand realizes that with every favor...(Aka uk’otoa giveth, uk’otoa taketh: the fanfiction.)
Relationships: Fjord & Mollymauk Tealeaf
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	A Plea and a Price

**Author's Note:**

> My First Critical Role fanfic. Im still on ep 80 so no spoilers pls. Also i miss molly real bad and it makes random ideas come to my head. Yes, i am embarrassed of them but what can ya do.

Mollymauk didn’t really understand the conditions for his return this time.

At first he was too shocked, opening his eyes once again to a cloud of darkness, a heavy weight settling on top of his chest and a growing panic burrowing in his guts.

His instincts kicked in before anything else, already working to  _ get out _ .

There was a thrill there too, because Molly remembered being in this situation, he felt familiarity about being buried alive, or dead.

He knew what Mollymauk meant.

Only a little through his struggle something snatched his wrist that struggled from beneath the earth and Molly held onto it. There was someone helping him.

Molly did his best to not breathe in the dirt around him and let the hand holding onto him pull him up out of his grave.

He emerged coughing up water and dirt, breathing in staccato gasps. And there, rubbing his back, was Fjord. Just the half-orc, but Molly had been ecstatic to recognize him, see him well. He tried to ask about the rest, had they made it? What happened to Lorenzo? And Yasha? All it came up was coughs, Fjord continued rubbing his back and murmuring reassurances.

After that, he was taken back to the inn for a tearful reunion with the mighty nein. It was a bit too much, but relief still poured through every fiber of Molly’s being. He knew who they were, every single one of them. He remembered a good life and that meant a lot.

Mollymauk had been caught up in the idea of living so much, he never really got around finding out the circumstances that led to it. His situation was already so weird, resurrection happening already in his past. He tried asking Fjord about it but the man had been avoidant and vague enough that Mollymauk walked out with no questions answered.

Things settled down though, Mollymauk could almost lie to himself about how, sans 

the Firbolg that walked with them now, everything was back to how it was before. They spent weeks chasing after their missions, fighting criminals and pirates and sailing away, then coming back to land, meeting families, and wizards, and demons, and royalty.

He was still roommates with Fjord and he now laid to fall asleep in Xhorhas and get ready for another chaotic day ahead of him. He closed his eyes and thought of the moon, and let his consciousness drift away as sleep took over.

…

In the middle of his dreams, he woke up in an ocean. Standing above the calm waters, staring at the infinity of the sea extending at all sides.

The skies rapidly turned gray, darkening with each second, the roll of thunder echoing through the immensity of that place, as the water started thrashing around with the call of the storm. Mollymauk started having a hard time keeping his balance on the darkening waters, growing violent, hungry, as they lapped at his ankles.

He looked up once again at the horizon, thinking of the harsh days of sailing through storms, the power of the water, enough to sink boats as big as hills. It was frightening thinking what it could do to a tiny tiefling such as himself. He had nothing to do but hold his place as the sea moved and waves crashed against him. He kept his legs apart and arms out to just stay above water. Stay above the darkness below him. Stay above that chill, that pressure, that  _ wrongness  _ that Molly could feel underneath his sogged feet.

And then he could see it.

An Eye. Staring up at him from below.

Mollymauk opened his mouth to scream, but something wrapped around his leg and tugged him down.

The cold hit him in a wave of shock, making his entire body spasm and contract as he was quickly pulled under the freezing, dark water below. That  _ thing _ around him snaked up his body, wrapping around his torso, keeping his arms flushed against himself, pressing against his ribcage with inhuman force. And Mollymauk tried to hold his breath, tried to struggle against the weight on him, unable to move, unable to breathe.

He was dragged down until he was held directly in front of the big, yellow eye.

The eye stared him down, angry, possessive.

It muttered one word.

_ Punishment. _

And then it crushed Mollymauk under its monstrous strength.

Mollymauk woke up with a gasp.

Or tried to. As soon as he tried to draw air into his lungs, something migled up with it and he saw himself forced to cough it up, bending over at the waist and retching as something wet spilled out of his mouth.

For a split second he thought it was dirt, too used to the feeling at this point, or at least more used than any person should be. But that wasn’t it, it was wet and and he felt like he was drowning. He continued puking that into his lap, onto the floor, and given how he was Fjord’s roomate, he started thinking maybe whatever Fjord had plaguing his dreams was contagious, and now Mollymauk also coughed up the sea.

Except that where salt should be, there was iron, where it should run out his mouth, it stuck uncomfortably to his throat and nose, and where it should be clear, it was red.

He was coughing up blood.

He tried one rattling breath, feeling the need to cough again as his lung started filling with blood again, a deep pain pulsing through his entire body from his chest every time his panicked heart beat.

Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.

He looked down at his chest and a deep gash ran over where his heart was, pouring blood over his lap and hands.

He knew what that would do to him.

His hands shook as he tried pressing them against his wound. Trying to keep the blood  _ inside _ , and not out, because out was bad and he was going to die again and he  _ really  _ didn’t want to die right now.

His breaths were coming up too short, blood tickling his throat and forcing him to painfully cough every time he tried to fill his lungs properly. He only managed choked little gasps.

Fjord.

Fjord!

Mollymauk tried lifting his head, turning it to spot his roomate.

Fjord slept soundly on his bed. 

Mollymauk tried calling out, but all that came out was another wet cough, and for a few terrifying seconds, he stood there, eyes wide, unable to draw another breath as his lungs refused to work. He bent over himself again, hands pressing further against himself and he managed another intake of air. Quick. Desperate.

This wasn’t working. He was going to die.

He leaned to the side, tried to reach Fjord somehow.

He felt himself hitting the floor as he fell out of his bed, and that triggered another coughing fit, but Mollymauk could only draw blood at this point and no air. He rolled over so he was facing Fjord’s bed. The man still slept, completely unaware of what was happening.

_ For fuck’s sake! _

Black spots danced around his vision, the world becoming just too out of focus to mean anything good. Mollymauk got one arm from under him and raised it, feeling how it shook madly with the effort.

He was terrified.

This was what killed him last time. He tried holding it still in that position, pointing the arm at Fjord’s back, wondering if this was worth it.

He didn’t have any other choice.

It was not like he could scream.

This sucked.

Mollymauk coughed again and let his blood work his magic, and he made Fjord feel...

_ Pain. _

——

Fjord woke up with a start, breath coming in and out fast as his heart raced inside his chest.

The words still echoed loudly inside his brain.

_ Return. _

_ Consume. _

_ P U N I S H M E N T _

He had been yanked violently from his dream, a sharp pain in his head. He looked down, expecting a falchion, sea water, anything from his nightmares. But there was nothing. 

Something had pulled him out of the dream before anything bad happened. He tried taking a deep breath, but an awful, familiar smell of metal filled his head as he did.

His head snapped to the right.

No Molly.

He was on the floor, one arm out towards Fjord, dropped against the wood.

“Molly!” He shouted, untangling himself from his covers. He kneeled down besides the tiefling, holding his shoulders and flipping him around onto his lap.

Molly was covered in blood, dripping from his chin and nose, staining the entire front of his chest and dripping down onto Fjord’s legs.

“Molly?! What happened?!” He asked in a panic, trying to press his hand against the bleeding wounds in his chest.

Fjord didn’t see Mollymauk in his last moments against Lorenzo, but he had seen him when he was resurrected. He had seen the big jagged scar on his chest that wasn’t there before. Saw how Nott, Caleb and Beau would sometimes stare at it. Saw how even Mollymauk would look down at it. He could easily assume that was the final blow he took. He could recognize it bleeding again and felt horrified.

He felt Mollymauk’s rattling breath inside his ribcage. Trying to fight to say something, to live.

“Molly?! Fuck!”

Fjord felt absolutely helpless. The words from his dream still echoing loud.

_ Return. _

_ Consume. _

_ Punishment. _

_ Punishment. _

**_Punishment._ **

The door to his room was pushed open in a flash. Fjord looked up, spotting Caduceus standing by it, confusion, and then concern settling over his features.

“Caduceus!” Fjord called out, desperate.

The firbolg thankfully understood, rushing closer and kneeling by them, laying a hand on Molly’s chest and another on his forehead.

“You’re fine. You’re okay. I got you.” He said calmly, pushing sweaty hair off Molly’s forehead and petting him gently as his other hand emitted a soft light, plants coming from the wounds to mend destroyed skin.

The tiefling shivered and breathed in choked stops, and Fjord held him through it.

He saw Caleb stopping at the door as well, woken up by Caduceus leaving their shared room maybe, and Nott behind him, holding onto his coat.

They had a frozen expression that spoke of terror.

Fjord couldn’t look at them.

He looked back down at Caduceus’ hands.

He thought back to that day, months ago. When he walked up to Mollymauk’s grave after a dream and hoped. Begged. 

Asked for a way to fix it.

He thought about the feeling, the voice that rang from his head, calling in a growl.

_ Reward. _

Thought at how his body seemed to move on his own as his hand was held over Mollymauk’s grave, as he felt an unknown surge of power overtake him.

And then the next minute. With him confused, staring down, only to feel that there was something very wrong.

He thought about how he dug down and met with Mollymauk’s warm hand.

He thought about how he pulled the tiefling out, how the tiefling had smelled of sea as he fit into Fjord’s arms, how he coughed up water and dirt as he tried to breathe again.

He thought about Mollymauk finally managing to fill his lungs somewhat now, laying on his legs with blood all over him.

And he thought about what terrible unforgivable thing he did to him by meddling with his patreon.

And he didn’t know how to fix it.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if its ooc, hope u enjoyed it hjknffdttdkjgdt  
> Critical role saving my quarantine man


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